If skin is taken care of, then less makeup is needed. When less makeup is needed, the individual becomes the star, with skin care and makeup working together in supporting roles. Since skin care is so important to me as an artist, I thought I would take the opportunity to share some tips, as well as my own personal routine. This routine would be great for most people with oily or combination skin, sensitive or not.

First things first, the key to any skincare routine is consistency. So many people try a product for a few days, or go through their full routine every other day or once a day. I have never met anyone who ended up with great results from that process. Skin care routines should be followed through every day, morning and night. Once you start a routine, you should start seeing full results in 30 days. Prior to my current routine, my skin would behave with something of a tight-rope act as my routine. It was all about using the right products at just the right time and it worked! It was just slightly exhausting. With this current routine, I’ve only made minor changes since I started it 3 months ago. My skin is on the oily side, and in the last year or so it has become pretty sensitive. I’ve fought breakouts since I was in high school, but nothing major. At some point, I started using all the products recommended for oily skin. These were super drying, which felt like the correct thing to do, but looking back the only difference I saw was dry skin, flaking, and more oil. When I finally wisened up and started putting the right oils back into my skin it quit feeling greasy and angry. (There is an entire post on my love for oils coming soon.)

So my routine: I started using a brand called Beautycounter about 3 months ago. I love the products and the ingredients so much that I even became a consultant, mostly because I wanted to be able to recommend a great line of products to my clients. In my opinion, these are the best performing and also the safest products I’ve tried. I bought the nourishing line first which is just that; all my sensitivities seemed to disappear pretty quickly. After using the products for a month, I was happy, but not amazed like I had been when I first tried them late last year. I decided that I needed a slightly more cleansing face wash, so I added the charcoal face bar to my routine. I also started adding a couple drops of the balancing oil to both my day cream and my night cream. With these additions, my skin began to brighten and look healthy. I don’t feel like I’m playing the balancing game anymore because the products I’m using are perfectly balancing! After another month Beautycounter rolled out the charcoal mask, so I do that a couple times a week, also using it as a spot treatment when needed. I am beyond thrilled with how soft my skin feels, and how balanced my complexion looks. (WITHOUT HARMFUL CHEMICALS!) I love skin care, and what I love about Beautycounter’s skincare is that is safe, customizable, and that from my experience, it works.

A few extra tips for oily girls (or guys) who are striving for clear skin:

– Clean your phone screen.– Don’t touch your face.– Don’t pick at your face. I know the struggle is real but this really makes a breakout worse, and it can cause other blemishes to appear.– Pay attention to what you eat. Diet makes a huge difference.– Don’t over dry. Turning your skin into the Sahara Desert damages your skin, and can even make it more oily and clogged in the long run. Not to mention that makeup never looks good on dry skin.

My routine.

Morning:

Cleanse with the Charcoal Bar.(Detoxes and removes impurities without over-drying.)

Apply one pump of Beautycounter’s Nourishing Day cream and two drops of the Balancing Face Oil.(The day cream locks in moisture without being too heavy. The balancing oil does just that; balances combination skin with ylang-ylang and chamomille. I even use it as a spot treatment when needed.)